I'm a nurse. Not a housekeeper!

I have since left that position and started with another client. Like I stated before, I do not mind helping around the house and I do. I have swept that floors, cleaned the kitchen, dusted and everything for this new client. Today the mother made this statement to me... "could you make sure you clean everything up before you leave. I had to pick up the towels you used for "Shelly's" bath yesterday. The other nurse knows that I do not have time to do these things. I just really need someone to help me out with these little things because I don't feel I should have to do it. It is part of your job."
Yesterday I gave my pt a bath and then right after I got her dressed her aunt wanted to take her to the park and we left. You can not leave the pt alone for even one second. I forgot by the time we returned to the home. I was really shocked that she would say something like this to me considering every morning her and her whole family mess the whole kitchen up and leave dishes all over including knifes and I clean it up without saying a word about it. I do not think that I am cut out for home health. I can't deal with these people always wanting more from me. I think I am a good person and try to go out of my way to lend a helping hand whenever needed. I am tired of everyone wanting more!

I am a CNA working for a home health agency. I can understand where you are coming from...Obviously, Im am there to take care of my patient's adl's. In the care plan I am to "complete light housework as pertain to patient's living space, which includes light meal prep and cleanup" The patient coordinator made sure to emphasize to me to ONLY "tidy up" the patient's living area. I have been with the same patient for about 9 months.

NOW to the annoying, dirty part of the story. My patient has two ADULT sons living with him along with his wife and his wife's mother. They think I am their chauffeur/maid/cook/etc!!!!!! In the beginning, obviously, I wanted to make a good impression, so I would do extra things here and there, but they just took it to the next level. They even asked me to not wear scrubs anymore so I could take them places, and run their errands. NOT errands for my patient, for his mother-in-law and his wife. I mean I can't even explain how much extra I do. What I refuse to do is clean up after their lazy sons. One is 22 the other is 24. Only one works, they are dirty and lazy, they don't go to school, they make a mess and leave it there and in the begin I would clean it up because I had to use the kitchen after them but not anymore. I leave it there and purposely not wash their dishes etc.. THey even leave the fridge open, just open, they grab a drink and leave it OPEN!! HOW LAZY!!! IT SOOOOOO ANNOYING!!
The absolute worst days are mondays, they dont have anyone come on weekends and mondays their house is disgusting, especially the kitchen, and I cant work in filth so I end up cleaning up their mess. I am putting up with it because as a CNA its good pay and they are flexible with my schedule which is very important since I going into nursing school this semester coming up, and I have a young daughter.

Don't get me wrong, I understand completely that as a CNA some of these things are my duties, but seriously, they take advantage of me.

thank you for letting me vent.

I have since left that position and started with another client. Like I stated before, I do not mind helping around the house and I do. I have swept that floors, cleaned the kitchen, dusted and everything for this new client. Today the mother made this statement to me... "could you make sure you clean everything up before you leave. I had to pick up the towels you used for "Shelly's" bath yesterday. The other nurse knows that I do not have time to do these things. I just really need someone to help me out with these little things because I don't feel I should have to do it. It is part of your job."
Yesterday I gave my pt a bath and then right after I got her dressed her aunt wanted to take her to the park and we left. You can not leave the pt alone for even one second. I forgot by the time we returned to the home. I was really shocked that she would say something like this to me considering every morning her and her whole family mess the whole kitchen up and leave dishes all over including knifes and I clean it up without saying a word about it. I do not think that I am cut out for home health. I can't deal with these people always wanting more from me. I think I am a good person and try to go out of my way to lend a helping hand whenever needed. I am tired of everyone wanting more!

As health professionals in this setting we set ourselves up for unreasonable expectations by "trying to be nice" in the beginning. When we start out performing duties which are not related to our purpose there we create an "expectation" that we and others will continue those duties. Light housekeeping means keeping the immediate area picked up and safe for the patient. Laundry should never include the items of other family members...never. Washing dishes is only your function if you dirtied them in caring for the patient. If you bathe the patient, tidy the bathroom after the bath...that does not mean clean the toilet. It is not your job to enable the slothful behavior of some patients. There are co-dependent healthcare workers who will be happy working in those situations. If you are not one of them move on, not all consumers of private duty nursing are abusers.

I agree totally! Thanks for your post! One of the biggest problems I encountered in my years doing private duty was demanding families with unrealistic expectations CAUSED/CREATED by the nurses who totally lacked a professional boundary!! It rather gave me a low opinion of our profession (nursing) to see so many nurses who seemed to lack basic professionalism. Co-dependent behavior galore! I wonder if the nature of private duty cases is that they ATTRACT nurses who have major co-dependency and martyr issues???? Even scarier was that these nurses did not "get" why their behavior was a problem!